JaMichael Phillips, 36, a Black/African American male, was found dead inside his home in the 100 block of County Road 2235 near Center, Texas, on the morning of Saturday, September 13, 2025. Deputies arrived around 9:30 a.m. to a house that had been deadbolted; a family member had forced entry moments earlier. Investigators focused quickly on a partially displaced bedroom window air conditioner and recovered it as evidence. According to the district attorney, the assailants could not get through the doors, so they yanked the unit aside and fired into the room as JaMichael Phillips tried to flee, striking him in the back of the head. A large crowd gathered outside as first responders worked, and video from nearby homes and businesses helped track a suspect vehicle in the hours after the killing. Texas Rangers assisted the sheriff’s office at the scene, and the justice of the peace conducted the inquest before the body was transported from the residence.
Within days, authorities described the shooting as “an execution,” and an investigation—spurred by neighborhood video, interviews, and interagency coordination—moved swiftly from the rural scene toward suspects linked to gang activity in Angelina County. Law enforcement said a dice game at the victim’s home two nights earlier may have been a precursor to a robbery attempt that failed when the suspects could not get through the doors. Two men were captured by a SWAT team in the Houston area and returned to Shelby County for booking; Texas Rangers later arrested a third. Officials emphasized that the motive appeared to be robbery and that the attack bore the hallmarks of targeted retribution rather than a random home invasion.
Arrests followed in sequence. On September 18, officials announced three suspects from Lufkin—Colby Eli Lister, 19; Deterion Alexander, 17; and Rico Rose, 20—had been taken into custody on murder charges in connection with the shooting death of JaMichael Phillips, 36, inside his Shelby County home. At that time, a fourth suspect remained at large. By October 10, the search culminated with the arrest of Alijah Ja’von Nicholson, 19, by the Angelina County Sheriff’s Office. Booking records listed charges of murder and burglary of a habitation for Nicholson, along with separate Angelina County drug and bail-jumping counts. Authorities said decisions about additional or refined charges would follow once evidence clarified each person’s role.
Public records and independent tracking entries corroborated the victim’s identity and the fatal date, listing JaMichael Phillips, 36, as lost to gun violence on September 13, 2025, in Center, Texas. Incident summaries likewise reflected multiple arrests tied to the case as the investigation advanced from the initial crime scene processing to interstate cooperation and targeted takedowns.
